Gotham City, NJ
NOT FINISHED Gotham City is a major city on the eastern seaboard, ridden with crime and corruption. It has the highest crime rate in the country and is considered "the most dangerous city in America". It's a rough city, known to break those who cannot handle it. A city of stark contrasts, Gotham is the home of both the fabulously wealthy and the desperate and poor; it's sometimes called a city without a middle class. Criminals of all walks flourish. Unfortunately for them, Gotham City is also the home of the infamous vigilante known as The Batman and his allies. History Founding In the mid 1600's, settlers from Scandinavia came to America and labored through harsh winters to build the foundations of what would become Gotham City. There are many tales that recount what the settlers endured, including bouts of madness, spirits and other mythical beings, and fights over Native American burial grounds. Much of Gotham's early history has been garnered through folklore, which was passed down orally through those first trying years. The British eventually took over the settlement. During this time, the settlement was named Gotham Town. ''There were five wealthy families that truly made Gotham City into something worthwhile--the Crownes, the Elliots, the Kanes, the Waynes, and the Arkhams. The Industrial Age During the mid-19th century, Gotham began expanding with the influx of several influential Gothamites. The powerful Judge, Solomon Wayne, associated himself with the young architect named Cyrus Pinkney in order to redevelop the city. Both men believed in the power of those designs to drive out malevolence, and so built many landmarks such as the Old Gotham Cathedral, the Jezebel Mall and Theater, and the Solomon Wayne Courthouse. Henry Cobblepot, a print magnate, also financially backed Pinkney in order to profit from his works, despite Pinkney being in favor of more artistic and civic structures. Being a rival to Wayne, Cobblepot even gave his approval to the seemingly fruitless construction of Gotham's ''Pioneer Bridge, which connetced the city's heart to the southern parts where few settlements existed. That project ended up being a success, as the new land made available saw businesses thriving. Gotham began to see rapid growth, becoming home to the Gotham Railyards and soon the industrial and financial heart of the city. Pinkney's final work for the city before his official death were the plans for Arkham Asylum. 20th Century By the end of World War I, Gotham City became a bustling hub of industry. However, it also became a haven for crime, known more for its poverty, the squalidness of its slums and the utter corruption of its government than for commercial and cultural achievements. By the 1930s, crime and corruption had reached a significant height in Gotham, which had become immortally characterized as the dark and foreboding city that it is. During this time, organized crime took a firm grip on the city. By the late 1950s, the Falcone crime family began to rise up to become one of the city's major players. By the late 1970's, they would be the unquestioned kingpins of the Gotham underworld. During the 1950s, Gotham evolved with the changing times, particularly in light of the paranoia perpetuated by the Cold War. Bomb shelters were erected throughout the city and in 1963, Gotham City planners began an ambitious project called the Underground Highway. Beginning at Fourth Avenue, they began building an actual subterranean thoroughfare designed to link with the subway system. They only managed to complete two-hundred yards' worth of tunnel before budget cuts forced them to abandon the project. In later years, the unfinished highway became a haven for the homeless and even a few criminals. Starting in 1976, billionaire Charles Wayne started a campaign to try to get the city back on it's feet. While most of his efforts ultimately fell apart due to the city's inherently criminal nature, he still left a deep impression on his oldest child, Thomas. When Thomas took over the company in 1993, he continued his father's philanthropic efforts. Thomas, however, took a more humanitarian approach, using large chunks of his own fortune to finance a number of scholarships, homeless shelters, free clinics, and other programs to help the needy. His wife, Martha Kane, used her own expertise as a psychiatrist to help her husband and founded her own organization, known as the Wayne Foundation. For the first time in nearly a century, the city seemed like it was starting to get back on its feet and the Waynes were seen as symbols of hope in a hopeless city. On June 26, 2000, Thomas and Martha Wayne were gunned down, victims of a random mugging. The incident left their only son, Bruce Wayne, an orphan. The deaths of the Waynes signaled the loss of the city's hope and it once again began to decline. Since then, Gotham has been growing more and more dangerous, becoming less of a city and more of a war zone. Overview Gotham City is one of the largest cities, by population, in the United States. It's an international center for politics, theater, music, fashion, finance, and culture. Gotham is a global city and home to many landmarks, including Lady Justice, Wayne Tower, Wonder Tower, Gotham Tower, Saint Bartholomew's Cathedral and many, many others. Gotham City is known for being perpetually grey and overcast, even on a sunny day. This is largely to do with the fact that the city is crowded with many tall buildings, enough that the sun is often blocked out, which makes the city seem to be cast in a perpetual shadow. Gothamites are a hardy and tough lot; the city either breaks you or it shows you how strong you really are. Crime The city is also extremely dangerous, with the highest crime rate in the country. Many neighborhoods within Gotham City limits, including some relatively close to the downtown core, have high crime rates and should be avoided. Many areas in the city also suffer from extensive urban decay. Gotham has struggled with high crime for more than a century. Gotham currently holds the title of "American Murder Capital" with a murder rate of around 60 per 100,000. Other types of crime--including theft, assault, vandalism, etc--are also in the top 10 highest (if not in the top 5 or higher) across the board. Crime and corruption have leeched into the government, as well; the mayor, the police force, and most of city hall are notoriously corrupt. Climate Gotham's climate tends to be surprisingly hot, in part due to how close together everything is. The coastal climate means a lot of rain and overcast nights. Precipitation tends to be very high year round. Winters are very cold and damp. Spring and Autumn are unpredictable and can range from chilly to warm, although they are usually mild with low humidity. Summers are typically very hot and humid, with a daily mean temperature of 82 degrees in July. Nighttime conditions are often exacerbated by the urban heat island phenomenon, while daytime temperatures exceed 90 degrees on average. Economy Gotham City is a global hub of international business and commerce. It is one of three cities known as the "Trinity"; Gotham, New York, and Metropolis. The city is a financing and banking powerhouse, and is a leader in technology and engineering; industries involving internet, new media, telecommunications, digital media, software development, biotechnology, game design, financial technology, and other fields within information technology. Many of the country's most lucrative auctions are held in Gotham City, and many collectors of rare art, jewels, and antiques make their home in the city. Parks Gotham has a complex park system, with various lands operated by the National Park Service, the New Jersey State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and the Gotham City Department of Parks and Recreation. Gotham has over 25,000 acres of municipal park land and 11 miles of public beaches. The largest park in the city is Robinson Park. Notable Parks include: * Robinson Park: '''Located in middle-upper Gotham, it is one of the most-visited parks in the United States. The park contains a myriad of attractions; there are several lakes and ponds, two ice-skating rinks, the Gotham Zoo, the historic Gotham Carousel, and the Robinson Conservatory Garden. * '''St. Michael's Square: A prominent landmark in the Burnside neighborhood. * Gold Park: In the East End. Has a 90-acre meadow, a lake, and even a small woodlands. The park was refurbished by Martha Wayne in the late 1990's, but has fallen back into ruin, becoming one of the most dangerous parks in the city. Points of Interest Uptown Midtown Downtown The East End West Gotham It is an overwhelmingly white and upper income suburban area with rows of neatly manicured lawns. South Gotham Includes everything south of the Pioneer Bridge. South Gotham is the least populated of Gotham's regions, and tends to be more well off. Separated from the city by the Upper and Lower Gotham Bays and is linked to the city by the Pioneer Bridge. With docks and shipping facilities, South Gotham's industrial activities include oil refining, chemical production, communication equipment and soap. For more information on South Gotham, read here.